During embalming, body fluids are removed from the body and replaced with chemical preservatives such as formalin. The process usually takes place in two steps.
Firstly, in a process known as arterial injection, blood is drained from the body and a chemical preservative is injected into the body to replace the blood. Normally, the drain from the embalming table is connected directly to the local sewer system and the blood and chemicals enter the sewage system.
Secondly, in a process known as aspiration, body fluids are removed from the hollow organs and replaced by a chemical preservative. Once again, the body fluids are drained into the local sewage system.
Various methods have been used for the aspiration of the hollow organs. In one, a hydroaspirator uses the water pressure from the local mains and a venturi valve to suck out the fluids from the hollow organs of the body. All of these fluids, including the excess water used for the aspiration process, which may amount to several tens of gallons, are flushed down the local drains. The embalmer uses a trocar to aspirate all the hollow organs, both thoracic and abdominal, and the resulting cavities are filled with cavity formalin.
In another process, infrequently used, an air pump is used to evacuate glass jars which in turn cause suction on a tube which is connected to the trocar and which trocar can be used to aspirate the hollow organs. The fluids from the hollow organs collect in the jars, and these jars are then emptied down the local drains. An example of one such air pump is the Sico No. 1025 Air Pump.
A significant problem with any of these methods is that they drain embalming chemicals and body fluids, including blood, into municipal sewage systems, and from there into the environment. The hydroaspirator also uses excessive amounts of water to create the necessary suction to remove body fluids from the hollow organs.
One proposed solution to the problem of disposing of body fluids has been on-site storage of the body fluids at the premises of undertakers. There are several objections to this solution. A person's blood is a body organ, and the solution results in the mingling of peoples' blood. In addition, on-site storage is expensive to maintain and clean, and the fluids must be disposed of eventually.
In addition, all of these methods suffer the disadvantage that any handling of body fluids after the removal of the body fluids from the body can result in contamination and the risk of exposure to disease.